A light field is a representation of light. To produce a light field, views are obtained for a collection of viewpoints. Thus, a light field contains a number of different images. The number of images that is required depends on the application.
Light field displays are used for the presentation of images to the eyes of the user that comprise a plurality of planes of focus such that the human viewer can see different images for different eye accommodation response. Generally, this is done to more closely match the vergence of the eyes (i.e., it fuses images of stereopsis) to the required internal deformation of the eye lens that controls focus accommodation.
A variety of techniques have been developed to create a plurality of planes of focus. For example, some heads up displays (HUDs) combine images from multiple LCD pixel arrays, such as the approach of Ellsworth described in US patent publication US 2004/0267941. However, conventional approaches to light field displays for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) suffer from various problems and drawbacks. These include problems with brightness and other issues. Additionally, some of the approaches are more complicated and expensive than desired.